HONOLULU (KHON2) — Hawaiʻi is a beautiful, diverse place with people from all over the world. We speak many languages, and this diversity reflects the cultural richness of the state.
Officially, Hawaiʻi’s languages are English and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi; and many, many locals speak an amalgamation language known as pidgin.
Hawaiʻi’s Pidgin is a creole language that combines English with elements of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Japanese, Portuguese and other languages. It developed to help people from different backgrounds communicate when slaves and workers were being brought to the islands to work the plantations.
This incredible diversity makes Hawaiʻi quite unique in the United States. So, here are the top 10 languages spoken in Hawaiʻi, not counting English or Pidgin, which are also widely spoken.
1. Tagalog
This language is mainly spoken by people from or with ancestry from the Philippines. It is the most common language after English. About 58,345 people speak it at home. That means around 17.8% of Hawaiʻi’s residents speak Tagalog. Compare this to California’s 2.2% of the population and Nevada’s 2.8%.
2. Ilocano
This another Filipino language, specifically from the northern regions of Luzon Island. It’s part of the Austronesian language family. Ilocano is spoken by 54,005 people or 16.5% of Hawaiʻi’s population.
3. Japanese
With 45,633 speakers, or 14% of the population speak Japanese. This reflects Hawaiʻi’s strong historical ties to Japan. This is compared to California’s 0.4% and Nevada’s 0.2%.
4. Spanish
There are 25,490 people who speak Spanish in Hawaiʻi. That’s 7.8% of the population. Spanish is a common language in many communities across the United States. This is compared to California’s 28.6% and Nevada’s 21.1%.
5. ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
Hawaiʻi’s native language is still spoken by 18,610 people, or 5.7% of the population. ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi is an important part of the state’s culture, history, traditions and future. ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi is not ranked on California’s or Nevada’s 20 most spoken languages.
6. Chinese
This includes several dialects across 17,360 people, or 5.3% of the population, who speak some form/dialect of Chinese. This is compared to California’s 3.2% and Nevada’s 1.1%.
7. Korean
There are 17,276 people who speak Korean, and this is mainly from the Korean-American community. That’s 5.3% of the population. This is compared to California’s 1% and Nevada’s 0.4%.
8. Samoan
Spoken by 12,795 people, Samoan is common in Hawaiʻi communities with roots in Samoa. That’s 3.9% of the population.
9. Vietnamese
Mostly in Hawaiʻi’s urban areas, there are 9,418 people who speak Vietnamese. That’s 2.9% of the state’s population. This is compared to California’s 1.5% and Nevada’s 0.3%.
10. Cantonese
There are 7,890 people who speak Cantonese in Hawaiʻi. It’s a Chinese dialect that 2.4% of the state’s population.
You can click here to access the U.S. Census Bureau’s data. You can click here to California’s most spoken languages and here for Nevada’s list.
These languages show how Hawaiʻi is a blend of different cultures and languages, and this blending has created one of the most unique and important melting pots in the world.